BGC Contracting has secured a contract extension with Atlas Iron at the Mt Webber iron ore project in Western Australia.
Atlas has extended BGC Contracting’s existing mining contract to June 2022. The updated contract is a life-of-mine extension that will see BGC Contracting provide services up to the end of operations at the Pilbara site.
BGC Contracting will continue to provide a range of mining services, including drilling, blasting, loading, hauling, dumping and mineral processing for the operation.
The two companies will strengthen a relationship that was first formed in August 2013 with the extension.
BGC Contracting chief executive officer Greg Heylen said the new contract signified a strong vote of confidence in the contractor’s ability to deliver well into the future.
He believes Atlas Iron’s senior team has recognised BGC Contracting’s commitment to work in alignment with its brand pillars of project delivery, strong relationships and great people.
“BGC’s long standing relationship with Atlas Iron has seen the two companies work collaboratively over the better part of the last decade. During this time, we have continuously and reliably met Atlas Iron’s safety and production targets,” Heylen said.
“Through the various challenges posed by the mining cycles over the years, the one thing that has remained constant is we have maintained our strong relationship with Atlas Iron at all levels of the organisation and continue to deliver great outcomes for their projects.”
Atlas Iron, which also operates the Abydos iron ore mine in the Pilbara, was last year acquired by Hancock Prospecting for $427 million.
Sanjiv Manchanda, Atlas Iron chief executive officer, said the award of the extension followed the long-term friendship between the parent company’s executive chairman Gina Rinehart and Len Buckeridge, the late founder of Buckeridge Group of Companies (BGC).
“BGC Contracting has previously completed significant contracting work at Hancock Prospecting’s Roy Hill mine and Mrs Rinehart had been delighted to award Len Buckeridge the inaugural National Mining and Related Industries Day award in 2013, only months prior to his sad passing,” Manchanda said.